The Route 15 Lucketts Bypass

A number of road improvement projects are in process along the corridor of Route 15 North. One of these improvements, the Lucketts bypass, is expected to directly impact JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary. Loudoun Wildlife is staying closely involved with this process to do everything possible to prevent the construction of a roadway that will negatively impact the globally rare habitat at JK Black Oak.

At the Board of Supervisors business meeting on July 5, 2022, the Supervisors approved a Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPAM) to widen Route 15 from north of Montresor Road to the Maryland state line. One of the phases of these improvements is the construction of a bypass around the Village of Lucketts. In response to initial advocacy efforts, county staff prioritized a recommendation to the Board to avoid impacts to JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary. However, at the business meeting, a motion was passed 6 to 2 that resulted in a directive from the Board that the study to determine the alternative corridors for the bypass only consider options to the west of the village of Lucketts where the Sanctuary is located.

Four original route alternatives. Click on map to enlarge.

In March 2020, Loudoun Wildlife purchased the 89-acre globally rare wetland now known as JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary, which is held under conservation easement. The four originally presented potential paths that the bypass could take were announced at the June 4 public input meeting. Although we are grateful that the route that would have bisected the sanctuary was eliminated, the remaining options still have significant environmental issues and would negatively impact JK Black Oak. The county Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure and contractor presented their preferred alignments at the public meeting on October 8. (View the maps presented: Alignment 1 North, Alignment 1a North and Alignment 1 and 1a South.)

The contractor will be presenting their preferred alignment option to the Board of Supervisors at an upcoming public hearing. The Board will then use this to vote to initiate the design phase for the bypass project as a subsequent business meeting. We need your help to speak out to protect JK Black Oak at these meetings! See our position and talking points below.

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy does not support the bypass project and is committed to advocating for solutions that protect JK Black Oak and serve the Lucketts community. In light of community concerns as well as our own, we are asking the county to reconsider the study, not only because we do not believe that the chosen route 1 or newly added variation 1a are feasible, but because there are glaring issues with the overall project.

This project realities fact sheet highlights issues with the overall project that have gone unaddressed by the county. The most blatant of these center on inaccurate and disproportionately allocated budget estimates (7x over the original numbers currently being used), excessive property and home take (85 private land impacts for a 2.5 mile stretch of road), and prolonged timeline (nearly a decade before construction is complete). All of these issues are exacerbated and emphasized by the scale of the project, a scale that does not align with the current budget, physical impacts, and local capacity.

The results of the county’s public input survey on the original options showed that over 60 percent of respondents believe that none of the proposed alignments work. We realize that the design phase of this project will yield more in-depth studies, but we have serious concerns about the inability to avoid some of the biggest problems with placing a roadway corridor in this area. The Route Alternatives document gives the issues for each of the four original alternatives (now narrowed down to variations on the blue and orange routes).

Local residents express their opinion.

We want to thank the members of the public who attended the June 4 and October 8 public meetings and took the time to fill out the county’s first public input survey. Your responses were critical in showing the county that this project isn’t supported and is even counter to community needs. We still need your help to continue the fight to protect JK Black Oak and the rural character of Lucketts! Use the project realities fact sheet for talking points. The Route Alternatives document can also help with talking points on the individual routes. Use your voice to tell the Board that this isn’t a viable solution for Loudouners!

Leading up to county meetings, we need you to email your Supervisor to tell them to reconsider the project. You can also email the Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure (dtci@louduon.gov) with your concerns. Please contact LWC Conservation Advocacy Coordinator Trinity Mills at tmills@loudounwildlife.org with any questions. We need your voice!

Much of the Lucketts community would be negatively impacted by this project for reasons spanning from difficulty accessing their own properties to adverse effects on their drinking water. Many in Lucketts have expressed discontent with this bypass project, and we join them in opposing it in favor of alternatives that are quicker, less costly, less damaging, and more in line with the needs of the community they will impact. Keeping pressure on the Board is important. Tell them to prioritize the Lucketts community and the wildlife that call JK Black Oak home.

Additional information on the Route 15 widening: